


Unwoven Time

by SurpassTheStars



Series: MAGtober 2020 [5]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Jon goes back in time to talk to Jon, Kinda?, MAGtober, Smirke’s Fourteen, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, day 5: powers, his self deprecating thinks it’s funny, i didn’t mean for this to get long but oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SurpassTheStars/pseuds/SurpassTheStars
Summary: “My first encounter with the supernatural was when I was eight, a Leitner called ‘A Guest For Mr Spider’ a nasty book with a connection to the Web.”
Series: MAGtober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958977
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66





	Unwoven Time

**Author's Note:**

> me: this is gonna be a small thing so I can catch up with the rest of magtober
> 
> me, 2 hours later and 1.2k word in: huh.

“Jon, there's ‘Nathan Blackwood’ here to give a statement,” Rosie said after opening the door to his office.

Jon looked up for a brief moment to acknowledge her with a, “Alright, send him in.” Before looking back down to stack his documents to the side and fish out a tape recorder from the desk.

He was aware of someone walking into the room shutting the door behind them and quietly sitting in front of him, Jon huffed trying to find a tape recorder when it seems like all of them suddenly disappeared.

“Looking for a recorder? Here I have one.” Jon snapped his head upwards from the shock, the sudden movement made him a bit lightheaded but he quickly gathered his bearings to gape at the visitor. 

He looked like an older version of, a bit more worn and riddled with scars but scarily similar nonetheless, his hair was much longer and a lot more whiter. His outfit, an emerald sweater, dark grey trench coat and brown pants, which was dirtied and had spots which Jon hoped weren’t blood. Nathan was holding out a tape recorder out to him.

  
  


“What-,” Jon began before the visitor— other Jon?— shook his head and shoved the tape recorder into his hand,  _ right _ he has a job to do. He took a deep breath and turned on the recorder despite his shaking hand. “Statement of Nathan Blackwood regarding?”

“The Archivist and the upcoming apocalypse.”

_ Apocalypse?  _ “Recorded direct from subject, 10th of January, 2016. Statement begins.” Jon feels the weight on something settle atop them the second Nathan opens his mouth.

“My first encounter with the supernatural was when I was eight, a Leitner called ‘A Guest For Mr Spider’ a nasty book with a connection to the Web.”

—————

Jon turned off the recorder and the weight of whatever that was lifted off his chest, it felt disorienting and if he was standing he was sure he would’ve stumbled. “R- right then, that’s a lot to take in.”

Nathan had the decency to look apologetic, he gave a small smile to Jon and patted him on the shoulder, “better hear it than learn it first-hand.” He stood up and reached for his cane that Jon hadn’t noticed before. “Would you mind rounding up your assistants? It’s safer here than out there and I’d like to get everyone on the same page.”

He dumbly blinked before the words caught up in his brain. “Yes, i can do that. Excuse me.” Jon walked towards the door opening it quickly enough that all three of his assistants turned to look up at him with confusion, he stiffly gestured to his office with his head before opening the door wider and going back in.

Tim looked at Sasha and Martin confused, Sasha shrugged before standing up and the other two followed in her lead glancing at each other worriedly or anxiously in Martin's case. The sight that greeted them was perplexing, Jon sat in his chair head hung low and hands wrapping around to touch the back of his neck, the other person was sitting in the visitor chair cross legged, drinking the tea that was on Jon’s desk and shooting him barely hidden amused glances between sips.

“Oh good, you all are here. Please shut the door behind you.” They were all taken aback by how the visitor sounded like Jon, Martin shut the door while trying to get his act together. Awkwardly they shuffled in and Jon finally looked up towards them and then towards the visitor who was standing up. “Well, might as well cut to the chase. I’m Jonathan Sims, obviously not your Jon- at least not yet.”

“And were just supposed to believe that?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow at him. The other Jon gave a smile, albeit a little uncomfortable, before taking his gaze off Tim.

“Suppose not, but just humour me for a bit.” He said, eyes landing on Sasha for a second before blinking twice and turning his head away. Other Jon gestured to the floor before sitting down slowly with the help of his cane, the others following suit while their Jon went around his desk to join their little circle on the floor.

“So, for starters, call me Nathan. It's easier than having two Jons running around, i am technically a time traveler? Though I’m not sure  _ how _ I got here but better not look a gift horse in the mouth.” He stopped to take a sip of his tea, eyes jumping around between everyone looking at their reactions.

Sasha— he assumed it was Sasha at least, the NotThem did a huge number on his memories of her— had a glint in her eyes, the same one he knew he wore so often, the type that means she has a lot of questions and that she will drink all the information he gives.

He tries to avoid looking at Tim all that much— what happened with the Circus plays back in his mind and he tries to not think about it— but he looked halfway between curious and untrusting which he couldn’t blame.

Looking at Martin made his heart twinge with sadness, this Martin was untouched by the Lonely, curly mop hair still black with not a hint of the white hair that took over his natural hair colour, he looked innocent not yet having been shown the horrors of his job. 

He looked at Nathan with concern, the same way  _ his _ Martin did, Nathan inwardly cursed whatever brought him here for not being his Martin with him.

“I think the best way to start this is with Robert Smirke.” Tim looked up with recognition in his eyes. “He was an English architect who researched and put these entities into neat little boxes which is now known as ‘smirke’s Fourteen’.”

“Entities?” Sasha asked, leaning a bit forward as if it would help her understand it more.

“Fear entities or fear gods to some people I suppose. You might want to get something to write it down.” Nathan replied, putting the now empty mug back onto Jon’s desk. Sasha nodded before all but running out of the door and coming back with a notebook in record timing.

Once she flipped it open and uncapped her pen Nathan continued. “These entities are manifestations of common fears, they cause them and feed on them. Smirke’s Fourteen were the most common ones, other fears falling under them.

‘The Buried’ is claustrophobia, fear of suffocating, drowning, and being buried alive. ‘The Corruption’ is the fear of filth, disease and corruption.” He rubbed his neck where the worm holes were, phantom pain rising up it.

“Did the Corruption do that?” Martin asked, Nathan turned to him and he seemed to realise what he said. “Oh! I- I’m sorry that was insensitive of me-”

“No, it’s alright Martin. To answer your question, yes there was– will be? A worm infestation in the institute.” Jon grimaced,  _ worms did that? _

“But getting back on track.” Nathan steered the conversation back to its original point. The rest listened with rapt attention.

—————

“This is all fine and good, but why tell us? What does the institute have to do with anything?” Tim asked after Nathan finished up, he still wasn’t trusting a man who claims to be his boss from the future.

“The institute is a temple of the Eye and– there’s really no easy way to put this, Elias is using Jon as a scapegoat in kickstarting the apocalypse.” Nathan looked at Jon with a worried look, he Knew he wouldn’t take it well. “Oh and also Elias isn't Elias.”

Jon crumbled in on himself, he knew he wasn’t qualified for this hell of a job.


End file.
